Space Race

From the author of ‘The Seven Wonders of the Industrial World’ comes the shocking but true story behind the space race – and the ruthless, brilliant scientists who fuelled it.


The end of the Cold War revealed a generation of secrets and cover-ups, and with it came a historical opportunity: the unmasking of the true heroes and villains behind the biggest race of mankind.


This is one of the greatest stories in world history, beginning in the bloody throes of the Second World War and spanning through to the moon landings. With the two superpowers pitched against one another during the Cold War, this is the race to create the most powerful rocket and dominate the world, culminating in 1969's 'giant leap for mankind'. The most pioneering and high-risk experiments ever undertaken cost untold millions – and hundreds of lives as mistakes were made, some too horrific to be made public.


It is a tale that plays out against a backdrop of communism and espionage. Buried within this multi-million-dollar battle between nations are the dramatic accounts of the individuals who had the passion to be the winner of this race at any cost. With ex-Nazi Wernher von Braun on the American side pitted against the enigmatic Sergei Korolev on the Soviet side, this revealing new history shows the extent to which politics and personal ambition combined to create an explosive race for the glory of victory.